When All is Lost
by haveyounomercy
Summary: When a serious, straight-laced girl asks Akutsu to teach her his kind of tennis, he refuses immediately. However, the girl's fighting spirit eventually makes him give in. A story of struggling friendship. OC, multichap.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I'm trying my hand at a multi-chapter fic! So far, this will end up as gen, but who knows? Romance seems to creep into my head a lot, so we'll see how it goes. :'D

I haven't written Akutsu in a while, so please feel free to point out anything you feel is out of place with him, or any part of the story~ Critique, comments, reviews, they're all appreciated!

Disclaimer: All credits go to their respective owners.

o~

"Phone call for you, Jin!"

Akutsu didn't move from his position on the couch, frowning at the television. He was in bad mood already, he didn't need some retard calling him at nine in the evening. It was probably one of three people: the brat, Taka, or that fucking Sengoku.

Considering the options, there was not a chance in hell that he was picking up that phone.

"Jin!" Yuuki pouted, her tiny head poking out from the kitchen. She held the phone in one hand, covering the mouthpiece with her other. "Turn down the television! I said, there's a phone call for you!"

"I heard you as clear as day," drawled Akutsu. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna pick it up."

"But Jin," his mother whispered, her face lighting up, "It's a _girl_!"

Akutsu froze.

Ever since he had started cutting back on fighting, troublesome things just seemed to come after the other. Dan was constantly at his side-even more so than before-and by this time, Akutsu had even convinced him that he had nothing to do with the tennis club anymore. But no, that didn't stop the brat from chatting his little head off. Not a single lunch break was spent in peace.

And smoking? He couldn't even enjoy a cig without having to hide. And if Dan didn't find him, then Sengoku would.

Well, Sengoku and his grinning annoyance could go die in a hole.

Taka had been calling him more, too. Talking about his improving Hadoukyuu and the restaurant and _who the fuck cares_?

Yesterday, to top it all off, his mother had been caught smiling at him. Smiling. At him.

And now, girls were calling him. His carefully constructed world of fear was collapsing.

"Jin?" Yuuki reappeared in from him, holding the phone out. "Come on!" She mouthed, obviously delighted.

Akutsu grabbed the phone away, crawling off the couch and going into his room while making sure to slam the door. He could practically _feel_ her beams of joy behind the wooden plank. Once inside and on his bed, he grunted into the receiver.

"Akutsu Jin?" The voice was undoubtedly feminine, but it wasn't that cutesy girly high pitch that Akutsu hated. It was more... lower. Monotone.

He grunted again.

There was a pause, and then the sound of a paper rustling. Wait, was she serious? She had written this _down_? Oh fuck, he was on the phone with a nutcase.

"Hello. My name is Nakagawa Misono. I'm a second year at Yamabuki and I-"

He cut her off, rolling his eyes. "Look, Nakagawa. I'm not interested in whatever you have to say. So hurry up and get to the point so I can refuse."

The paper rustled again in the pause before she spoke again.

"I would like you to train me in tennis."

At that point, Akutsu almost hung up. Right there. She had to be kidding. The only thing preventing him from doing so was that he was paralyzed in shock that she would even-

"I have seen you play many times, and although you seem to have stopped, I will do anything in my ability to learn how to play like you do."

Him? _Teaching_ tennis? She seemed dead serious about it too. Akutsu was still frozen at the sheer nerve of the girl. Was this a prank?

Finding his words, Akutsu gripped the phone. "You must be fucking joking. I will never play tennis again in my life, you hear me? And I wouldn't ever, _ever_ teach it to a girl. Maybe if you had a nice body I'd consider it, but I still wouldn't do it, you dipshit. Don't call me for such useless things."

"Please describe your criteria for a 'nice body'."

Akutsu's mouth hung open. "Are you shitting me?"

"No." The voice was almost earnest, if you could be earnest in monotone.

"That wasn't a fucking question!" Akutsu nearly screamed. He was dumbfounded at the goddamn _stupidity_ of the girl. Didn't she know who he was? "I'm Akutsu fucking Jin, you hear? Don't be smart with me, or I'll kill you!"

The silence on the other side made him settle down. This was more like it. _Shiver and cower, stupid little girl_.

"I will do anything."

It was his turn to grow silent. The anger boiling in his stomach was no joke. It bubbled higher and higher, until Akutsu felt his face reddening with fury. "You. I don't care if you're a girl or not. The next time I see you, I will fucking. Kill. You."

"Would punching me make you want to train me?"

Nothing worked. Intimidation, rudeness, swearing, nothing. She wasn't letting him go. There was nothing left to do. Akutsu breathed in, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hey. You. Meet me at the train station near the convenience store in ten minutes. Not on the platform, but under it. Be there and I'll consider it."

"Thank you very much, Aku-" Akutsu hung up, throwing the phone at his wall. He grabbed his wallet and jacket and pushed the door open, glaring at his mother who was sitting stupidly in front of the television.

"Where are you going?" She asked, watching him grab his shoes from the rack. Realization dawned as she clapped her hands together. "Oh my, does it have to with the girl? Is it a date? Oh my god, the day has finally come! Say hello to her for me! Don't be home too late now, you hear? Be respon-"

Akutsu slammed the door to the apartment shut.

o~

There was no one else in the dark expanse under the platform except for her. Even in the dim light from the above streetlights, he could see her clearly. She stood rigidly, in perfect fucking posture. Her hair was long, ending just below her shoulder. Too long. It was also too dark. She was heavily bundled up, meaning she didn't like the cold.

He couldn't see her face, but he would bet that it held an emotionless expression, matching with her boring voice. To anyone else, she might've looked like a prestigious daughter of a well-off family.

However, Akutsu knew better.

Her boots were dirty, scuffed from being worn too much. She probably only had one other pair of shoes, and they were most likely runners. Her jacket looked expensive and warm, but it was only a thin layer of plastic over what was probably two sweaters underneath.

She was a poor girl. Almost everyone at Yamabuki was. Not exactly poor per se, but not well off either. It was a well-known fact.

Smirking, Akutsu checked his watch. Twenty minutes late, just on time. He held his purchases from the convenience store in a plastic bag in one hand. Breathing in his soon moment of victory, he walked out from his hiding place. The plastic bag rustled and she turned around quickly, confirming Akutsu's suspicions.

Her bangs were neatly trimmed, straight. They ended above her eyes, black and serious. Her skin was probably her most redeeming feature. It was a delicate white, but not from excessive product use.

She bowed first, and he didn't return the favour. Walking towards her, he grunted as a way of saying hello. She was a whole head shorter than him.

With a straight face, she stared up at him. "I thank you very much for coming to meet me, Akutsu-san."

Akutsu smirked down at her, knowing well how scary he looked. "Am I late?"

Her lips pursed. "Not at all."

"Great. Bought you a present." Akutsu said, noticing the wary look in her eyes. So she did know how to be afraid. He took out a bottle of orange juice he had bought straight from the refrigerator of the convenience store. Unscrewing the cap, he held it out to her.

And then he threw all the contents of it in her face.

o~

Nakagawa Misono wasn't a fool. She knew that Akutsu Jin was a delinquent, and that she was very likely giving up a good chunk of her life by asking him for a favour. But in the same way, she was ready to be a fool if it meant that she would get her goal.

Her hands were practically ice chunks. She had arrived three minutes early, having sprinted from her house the moment he hung up on her. And from then on, she had stayed in the eerily quiet place, waiting for the giant monster.

When he arrived-almost half an hour late, no less-, she had almost run away. His white hair stood out in the dark of the night, and the breath he was breathing seemed to be like the smoke emitting from a devil's wings. His teeth were especially scary, particularly when he smirked at her.

However, of all things she expected, she had not even thought of him throwing juice in her face.

Of course, Misono had been aware of the dangers of the orange juice he had held out. She thought it might've been poisoned at first, but that idea had been swept away the minute all of it splashed onto her face. As she wiped the ice-cold juice out of her eyes, she couldn't help but have to force down some tears that threatened to come out along with it.

No, she had to be strong. It had to be a trick. He was testing her, pushing her. "Thank you for the present, Akutsu-san." She could feel the sticky substance sliding down her chin. Wiping herself with as much dignity as she could muster, she managed to get most of the juice off her face. She would have to wash her hair and put her clothes in the sink when she got home.

That set him back. His lip curled, obviously disappointed at her lack of frenzy.

So that was it. He had called her out here to bully her out of her decision. The thought made Misono want to run away before she got hit with more things, but she stood still. She had to go through with this.

"Have you considered it yet?" She asked, her voice steady. Good. She wouldn't waver, not yet.

"Considered what?" He snarled, still annoyed at her reaction to the juice.

Misono couldn't bring herself to look him straight in the eye. It was too frightening. She settled on his left cheek instead. "Will you help me with tennis?"

The next thing that happened could only be counted in seconds.

One. Akutsu's free hand drifted back above his shoulder as Misono's eyes widened, her serious expression dropping into one of shock.

Two. His fist pushed off quickly, as Misono retreated and leaned her chest and head as far she could back.

Three. Akutsu stopped himself just inches away from the hands she had brought up in front of her closed eyes. She shivered, the cold of the juice on her clothes and in the air blending with her terror.

"You've got good reflexes," he growled as he took his fist away.

Misono was speechless as she lowered her hands, her heart still thumping loudly in her ears. She hadn't felt it this much when they were on the phone, but standing in front of him right now, she understood it.

Akutsu Jin was terrifying.

Her knees collapsed under her, and she cursed herself for being a girl, for being so scared, for being so _weak_. There was a rustle of plastic, and then a click of something opening. The next thing she felt was something drip onto her head.

"It's shampoo," Akutsu explained with a leer in his voice. "Thought you could use some after all the orange juice in your hair."

This wasn't just making fun of her, was it? Wasn't this... wasn't this full-on _bullying_? Misono's hands shook as she clenched them, trying to keep her head still. She didn't want any of it to fall down her shirt and squelch on her skin. Orange juice stains was one thing, shampoo in her bra was another. Still, she pushed herself to keep talking, unable to stop her teeth from chattering.

"Y-you have seen me now," she said, her voice faltering. "Do I have a... nice body?"

Silence. And then, the plastic bag full of pranks was thrown on the ground, making her flinch. Akutsu's foot stomped loudly, and she jumped. The shampoo started sliding down her scalp and onto the back of her neck. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" He demanded, sounding furious. "I'm fucking harassing you here, you stupid bitch! Just go home!"

The shampoo trailed down her neck and tears sprang into Misono's eyes. "Nothing," she yelled out, "Is wrong with me!" She forced herself to stand back up, taking a step forward to Akutsu. "I have a _goal_, and you're the only one who can get me to it! If I have to deal with this..." Shit, now a tear was falling down her cheek, "T-then I'll deal with it! But nothing, nothing is ever going to stop me, not even you, _Akutsu Jin_!"

She forced herself to glare into his eyes, and inside, she saw it. She saw shock. There she was, a pathetic girl drenched in orange juice and crying with shampoo down her back, yelling at him. He had to think she had gone inside. She wiped her tears away quickly, keeping her gaze in those narrowed yellow eyes.

"I'll never train you," Akutsu said quietly, menacingly. "Never."

"Yes you will," she breathed. "I will do anything to make you."

His fists clenched, and he pulled back again, fully intending to hit her this time. It wouldn't be that hard. Just enough to make her terrified of him forever. Then, she'd never bother him again.

What he didn't expect was the fist that came flying at his own eye, strikingly fast and vicious. The fist was small, pale, inexperienced, but full of anger. Akutsu felt himself falter for a millisecond at the surprise that a girl was actually trying to _hit_ him, and that was his downfall.

He staggered backwards, cupping his hand over his right eye. It had been a _long_ time since he had let himself to be hit this hard. That girl didn't have overpowering strength, but it was the sheer fact that he hadn't ducked, hadn't _blocked_ that made it hurt so much.

The adrenaline in his veins died down as he lowered his hand, an ugly bruise already forming. He stared at her, the stupid girl that had dared to hit him. She looked as shocked as he felt, her skin totally pale from fear. Her hand was still outstretched, and she stared at it in horror before glancing into his eyes with fear. There was something in them... regret?

Before he could do anything, she had dropped onto her knees again and was kneeling before him, her forehead pressed to the ground. Her hair was a mess, and Akutsu almost felt sorry for a moment before remembering that wait, the bitch had _hit_ him.

"I apologize greatly!" She said, her voice muffled by the floor. She had gone back into her serious default mode, her anger from before gone. "Please let me do something to repay you."

Akutsu stayed silent, watching the shaking girl in front of him. It was like déjà vu. How many times had someone bowed down like this in front of him, totally frozen with fear?

He always knew it deep down inside, but there was something about this kneeling... he didn't like it. He didn't like the strange feeling in his chest, the feeling of guilt and sorriness and something he couldn't understand.

So usually, he just kicked the figure on the ground and kept on beating them up until the adrenaline blocked the feelings in his mind. As Misono repeated her statement, Akutsu felt his energy leave him.

He was tired of this.

"Stand up," he grunted. "I don't like beating up girls."

At first, nothing happened. He was about to repeat himself when she moved out of her position shakily. She must've been shocked, he thought to himself with almost a laugh. The girl stood warily, keeping a nervous eye on his fists. At least she wasn't staring him right in the eye anymore. That just felt uncomfortable.

"Nakagawa."

She jumped as he said it, before her face straightened into its normal expressionless mode.

Akutsu studied her. He felt himself regretting his decision already, but he couldn't stop the words from coming up. "I spend most of my time on the rooftop. For one fucking week, you better be my personal slave. After that, I'll think about helping you with your fucking goal. But," he narrowed his eyes while hers widened, "If you tell anyone, _anyone_, that you gave me this black eye, it ends."

Misono couldn't think anymore. It was like her brain had split in half. "I-I. Yes. Yes, Akutsu-san. I will come to visit you in your first class tomorrow."

Akutsu turned on his heel, picking up his plastic bag on the way. "It's Science." It was actually Math, but that didn't bother him. He would see if she would break during the next week. No, it wasn't 'if' she would break. She definitely would.

There couldn't possibly be two people in the world made out of the same dumbass will of Dan.

"Thank you very much, Akutsu-san!"

He didn't look back.

o~

When Akutsu got home, he went straight into his room after shoving the plastic bag in his mom's arms. She sighed, deciding to ask him about it the next day. As her son angrily threw things around in his room, she wondered how he had gotten another black eye. Perhaps she would invite Taka over to ask about it over some of the nice biscuits Akutsu had bought from the convenience store.

When Misono got home, she marched past her worrying parents and shocked older sister without a single word. Her sister eventually came into the bathroom to help get all the orange juice out of her hair as her parents scrubbed her stained clothes. She didn't get any sleep that night, lying on the upper bunk over her snoring sister.

It was the beginning of a legend.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Written in one gulp after I was "encouraged" to update by a friend. :'D A little shorter than last chapter, but I'm still trying to grasp the feel of this story so things might bounce around for a bit. Also, changed "Humor" to "Drama" for genres just because I think it fits better?

Thanks for all the support, lovelies~ 8Db

Disclaimer: All credits go to their respective owners.

o~

Sawaguchi Tesshou was always told to expect the unexpected while teaching middle school. Still, after eight years of teaching at Seigaku, he thought that he had a pretty good sense for students.

Which was the reason why he was currently bewildered at the state of Nakagawa Misono. She was normally a silent but hardworking student, a type that was easy to handle and slipped under the radar more often than not. She was a bit frightening with that intense gaze of hers, but he thought that she was a fine, upstanding young girl.

When she had shown up late that day, panting for breath, he decided that it must have been a fluke. Nakagawa had a perfect attendance record, and he let her off with only a small warning. Then, between first and second period, a monster entered his classroom.

Tesshou had heard rumours about Akutsu Jin, but none of them did justice to the real thing. He was huge, glowering down at all the terrified of the younger classroom's students. Tesshou had expected him to call out Inagaki-kun or Riichiro-kun, one of the troublesome gangsters in the classroom.

But then Akutsu entered the classroom and stood right in front of Nakagawa Misono's, of all people's, desk.

"Next time when you get me a soda, it better be orange flavoured." He had said, and slammed an empty can onto her desk. She flinched, but nodded. He put a slip of paper on her desk, and then left promptly. Everyone stared at Nakagawa, who only took a few seconds to regain her composure.

"Sensei," she said calmly, shocking Tesshou out of his stupor, "Do you know any vending machines around the school that sells orange flavoured soda?"

He shook his head slowly, and the bell rang to commence learning once again. Slightly shaken, Tesshou let himself immerse in geometry and forget about the past accident.

At lunch, Nakagawa left the classroom with her bento, and returned ten minutes before the bell rang with a tube of super glue and shards of some kind of container. She spent the rest of her lunch and the next breaks gluing her bento back together carefully, with an air of total nonchalance.

Her classmates, originally intimidated by her gaze, now fully stared at her in horror.

After class, Tesshou called her to his desk, fully intent to find out what was going on with his student.

"Nothing is wrong, Sawaguchi-sensei." she had replied with a straight face. "It was merely that I bought the wrong soda for Akutsu. I did not know that he disliked the flavour apple."

"Are you getting bullied, Nakagawa?" Tesshou said slowly, trying to make her realize it herself. "Because if you are, you can tell me about it."

She took a moment to think. "In normal circumstances, I think it would certainly be called 'bullying'. But right now I am under special circumstances, and I am only being tested. Please do not worry, I will be sure to buy the right type next time."

"This isn't about the soda!" Tesshou was getting exhausted just talking to her. "Well, actually, it is. If I'm correct, then you were late because you had to buy him soda, and then he smashed the bento that you've been putting back together. There's no kind of circumstance that allows you to be treated like that, Nakagawa."

She pursed her lips. "I will be leaving the classroom now, Sawaguchi-sensei. Now that class is over, I can use my phone and input Akutsu-san's phone number in it. Then, I must go locate an orange flavoured soda vending machine and also buy some jumbo prawns so that he can have it in his nabe tonight with his mother." And with that, she bowed, picked up her bag, and left.

Tesshou leaned back in his seat and massaged his temples.

Ever since he had started teaching her, he never really knew what went on in Nakagawa's head. Now, he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to.

o~

Sengoku caught her trying to fight her way around the old ladies at the fish market.

"Misono-chan!" He grinned, sidling up to her. It was amusing to see someone flinch at their name being used so casually, and Misono certainly rewarded him with that pleasure. "What are you buying?"

"Sengoku-san." She greeted, bowing. "I am buying jumbo prawns for Akutsu's nabe tonight for his mother. What are you doing?"

Sengoku's eyebrows rose all the way to his hairline. "Wait, you're on gofer terms with him already? I only just gave you his address and home number yesterday!"

"I went to his house after that and asked him to train me. Now I am being tested." Misono paused to let a lady wielding a whole salmon slide past her. "Thank you very much for that information."

Shaking his head, Sengoku could only laugh. "When you came to me and asked me how to get in touch with Akutsu, I thought you were out of your mind. But you must be something really special, to get him to agree with something so quickly. What did you do?" And then his eyes widened. "Don't tell me, that black eye-"

"Please do not make assumptions." Misono hurriedly interrupted. She was not supposed to mention that. "When we met, he had no black eye. It must have happened after." Slightly true. "Anyways, I must be getting those jumbo shrimp. I don't think Akutsu-san likes to wait much."

"Yeah, he doesn't." He agreed, still staring at her. She stared back blankly, and he wondered if she was really out of her mind after all. Well, he would give up for today. "Have a good day, Misono-chan!"

"And you as well." She bowed, almost knocking over a frail old fisherman. Sengoku sighed and took his fresh cod and went home. He was going to tease the hell out of Akutsu tomorrow.

But first, there was someone he needed to call.

"Hey, Dan-kun, you'll never guess what just happened..."

o~

"This is disgusting." Akutsu frowned at the prawns, his lip curling. "Why are they gray?"

"I thought you were eating this with your mother." Misono remarked as she plugged the nabe machine into the home economics room. "And it only looks like that because it's raw."

Akutsu clicked his teeth. "She said she was going to be home late, and I thought I would do something for you for the prawns." Actually, it was because only losers ate nabe alone, and Akutsu was no fucking loser.

"Thank you very much." Misono bowed, biting her tongue. She had also been eventually sent to buy cabbage, mushrooms (only the enoki kind), soba noodles, beef slices, oolong tea, and radishes. She also was the one to go to his house and bring over the nabe machine, as well as find a way into the school.

Looking around again, she hoped the janitors had already left. Did the third year always just use the school however he liked?

"Put more radishes in." Akutsu said, leaning against the wall to fan himself with an instruction manual on how to bake cupcakes.

"You like radishes?" Misono asked as she navigated her chopsticks around the broth. (She had also brought plates and cutlery from the Akutsu house; a separate trip than the one to bring the nabe machine.)

Akutsu glared. "I hate them."

"Then..." Her chopsticks hovered over the machine, weary to put more vegetables in. "Why?"

"They make the broth taste better. Don't you know fucking anything?" He rolled his eyes, scratching his stomach. "This is taking forever."

Misono tried not to flinch. "It is cooking. Unless you like raw meat."

Akutsu threw, not so lightly, the manual at her head, finding a tiny bit of satisfaction at the shocked expression she wore when it hit. "Don't be an idiot and add more fucking radishes."

Misono did not want to be here. Her head hurt. There were a million things she would rather do, but she clenched her jaw and stirred the broth. She thought about all the things she could say, like what about the money for the various foods she had bought, or the simple question of why she was even eating nabe with Akutsu-san.

Tonight, Misono's family was having croquettes. It was Misono's favourite.

She hated jumbo prawns.

There were a million things she could say. But instead she looked up and said, "The beef is ready."

"You better finish all the radishes." Was all he replied before scooping up the meat from the machine.

Ah, so that was why he wanted to eat with her. Picking out a few, Misono told herself that this was all for her goal. "Of course."

o~

"What do you want?"

Misono stopped pouring him orange soda to look up. It was ten at night and the food was all eaten. She wanted to go home. "Nothing."

"No, not that." Akutsu raised an eyebrow to signal for her to keep pouring. "What do you want me to train you for? If it was just talent, then Sengoku could do. Fuck, even that Jimmies captain could help more than I could."

Misono stayed silent until she handed over his drink, and she stared at the broth still settling in the nabe machine. "Because you are the only one's style that I want to use."

Akutsu motioned for her to go on, clearly unimpressed with her kind-of flattery.

She kept her gaze down. "When I first saw you playing a few months ago, it was scary. Terrifying, even. You had so much force in your shots, and you aimed to hurt. You completely destroyed your opponent, and you scared the entire team out of their wits. Being a rookie tennis player myself, I hated it because it defied all the sportsmanship ideals that all rookies carry."

"Then why are you letting me screwing you over?" Akutsu asked, annoyed. If she was just going to insult his playing style, then why should he even bother training her? "I lost badly, you know. It's not the best tennis style."

"I don't care about winning or losing." Misono looked up so sharply that it made Akutsu slightly uncomfortable. Then she bowed. "I'm sorry for snapping, Akutsu-san. I'll explain. There is a tennis tournament in three weeks, just for rookies. It's not official, but there's an older girl there that's pretty good. She..." Misono stopped, and Akutsu did a double take.

She was angry. It was the first time her entire face expressed it, instead of just her dark brown eyes. "She spread rumours because she didn't like my older sister. Rumours that I can't repeat because they're horrible. Eventually, my sister had to move schools and now she still gets harassed by her old classmates." Her fists clenched even tighter.

"She ruined my sister's freshman high school year. I want to crush her. I don't care about winning, but... I want to cause her pain. I don't know what this feeling is. It's so dark and anguishing, and I haven't ever felt it before, but you must know what it is. You seem like the type to be familiar with this type of feeling." Misono looked up for a second, eyes almost pleading. "I just... when I go to bed at night, I see her face and I just want to punch it. I don't care what you make me do Akutsu-san, but please let me crush her with your tennis." Misono looked him straight in the eyes, her face a mixture of anger and tired hope. He eventually broke their gaze by staring at the ceiling.

When he looked back, she was back to normal, staring at the floor.

There was something seriously wrong with her. To hate someone with that much passion was too strange for a good girl like her. It was much too like him.

With the feelings of right now and the punch from yesterday, Akutsu was experiencing a new feeling as well. He was getting worried that this girl was like him, and was getting only more and more dangerous to deal with.

He told himself to cut it off. To quit and be done with the mad chick.

But he wanted to see it. He wanted to see his playing style from an outside perspective, to see it being played by a girl who wasn't violent at all.

Akutsu had the slightest feeling in his stomach that maybe, she would be even more ferocious than he was.

His style was that of a villain's, but... for once, it would be nice to see the villain win.

He sighed. "You're a crazy bitch. You know that, right?" Misono didn't deny it. "If you start learning that style, you'll have to restart everything you've worked hard to build. That good student act can go to hell. There's no way that you'll be able to play tennis again without hurting someone every fucking match. Everything will change, and you'll have to be okay with it. I want some kind of commitment acknowledgement, or I'm not doing a single thing."

Akutsu stood up, slamming the lid on the nabe machine and taking it under his arm. "Anyways, enough with this crap talk about feelings. I'm going home now. Tomorrow, I want to see something fucking awesome. And it better not be some crap like dying your hair or something, your face looks scary enough as it is." He smirked. "Can't wait to see this bitch you're angry at, by the way. She sounds like a ball."

As he left, he heard a strong voice call out, "Akutsu-san, I will not disappoint you! Good night."

Walking back to his house, he wondered what kind of crazy shit she would think of.

_Well, I'm beyond being surprised by her_, he rolled his eyes.

The next day, she came to school on a motorcycle.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Semi-writing spree going on, super sorry for not updating in like... two years oh my god HAHA. Does anyone still read this? In any case, I'm content with this chapter.

Disclaimer: All credits go to their respective owners.

o~

"So what is this for again?" Nakagawa Ryou raised an eyebrow, tucking a wad of bills into his back pocket.

Misono slipped her wallet back into her schoolbag, trying to eye the motorcycle in front of her in a way that didn't reveal how scared she was of it. "It's not important." She paused, hands tightening around her bag. "So… how do I ride it?"

"It's pretty much just like a bike," Ryou shrugged as he scratched the back of his head, knowing fully well that it was not _pretty much just like a bike_. "You're a smart girl, you'll do fine. You've got the blood of a rider in you, anyway!" He grinned, winking.

"Please don't start treating me like your niece again after you made me pay money to rent this… thing." Misono said curtly, walking towards the motorcycle warily.

He laughed, "A man's gotta make a living, Misono-chan. So long as your dad doesn't hear of this and you drive this thing back here whenever you're done with it, it's yours for the month! Isn't that a good deal?"

Misono thanked him briefly, and with his help she eventually mustered up the courage to hike up her skirt and sit on top of the seat. Her feet barely touched the pedals, but she straightened her back and let out a breath. Just like a bike, huh? Easy.

And then she almost ran her uncle over.

As she scrambled off the bike to help him up, she bit her lip and looked at the clock. Her teacher would no doubt be mad at her again if she was late.

It was all for her goal, she repeated to herself as she climbed atop the red and white monster. It was all for her goal.

She kept telling herself this as she shakily circled the garage a couple of times, the morning breeze freezing her lips. _My goal_, she muttered under her breath as she finally made her way onto the road, trying not to shake as much as her heart was inside of her chest.

The closer she got to the school, the faster her heart beat. She managed to go through side roads for the majority of the route to the school, but as more people came into her vision her breathing turned ragged. She wasn't used to being the center of the attention. Her shoulders stayed strong as she rode on though, hiding desperately behind the safety of her huge helmet.

When the time came for her to stop and get off, she knew she was being watched by everyone. Her legs felt numb as she slowly climbed down, the sound of the engine still ringing in her ears. She was tempted to just wear her helmet all the way into school, but she knew that it would not satisfy him.

Misono didn't bother looking around for Akutsu. It was probably too early for him to be at school, and the lazy third year would definitely be satisfied with hearing all the nasty rumours sure to surround her later.

She breathed out shakily, reaching up to remove her helmet when suddenly she felt something land on top of her head, almost making her knees buckle under the unexpected weight.

"Let's think this through now, shall we?" Sengoku's voice floated past her ears, and Misono jerked out from under his hand to peer up at him. He grinned down at her, "I really doubt that this is a good idea."

"Leave me alone," Misono said steadily, two hands on the sides of her helmet. "This is something I have to do."

Sengoku shook his head, looking far too amused for his own good. "You know, you might be surprised to hear this, but Akutsu actually told me to watch out for you. Well, he told me to 'make sure she doesn't get herself killed and it gets blamed on me', but I'm paraphrasing." As he spoke, he kept one hand on her helmet and started to guide her with another hand on her back. "Think of this as a favour to me. You don't need the whole school gossiping about you."

"I don't owe you any favours," Misono replied as she tried to stop herself from being lead towards the tennis courts. "Where are you taking me? What about my bike?"

"You mean you actually own that thing?" Sengoku whistled, "Don't worry, Dan-kun's going to store it in our club shed for a while. Lucky for us, ever since Akutsu moved his stuff out of there we have tons of space!"

"I rented it." Misono gave up on resisting and let herself be pushed around by Sengoku. "And what kind of things did Akutsu-san have in the storage shed?"

Sengoku shrugged as he opened the door to the changing rooms. As there wasn't any morning practice that day, the courts and the clubroom were completely empty. He had tried his best in taking a wayward route to avoid any curious followers, but the students of Yamabuki were so used to Sengoku's quirky ways that most of them chalked off the mysterious biker girl to just another one of his antics. "I don't know, he put whatever he wanted in there. An old sofa, garbage, I think we even had a nabe machine in there once."

"How surprising." Misono said dryly, taking off her helmet once Sengoku moved to close the door. "May I leave now? I have class soon."

For the first time since that morning, Sengoku's smile faded. "Look, Mi-chan, I know we've only met two days ago," and yet there he was, addressing her so casually, "But I feel like I need to warn you. Akutsu's a dangerous guy. You can do whatever he wants you to, run around like a maniac trying to please him, but in the end he might not even keep up with his end of the deal. You know that, right? A good girl like you should just do what you're supposed to."

Misono's eyes grew stony. "I'm not a good girl, Sengoku-senpai. I finish my homework and study for my tests and brush my teeth every night, but I'm not a good girl. I'm tired of people seeing me as such, when in reality I think I am the only one who knows who I really am. I apologize for my rudeness, but you don't know me. You, senpai, have no right to tell me what it is I should or should not do. Because what I think I should do is quite different that what you think." Misono took a step towards Sengoku, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy. "What I think I'm supposed to do is crush. I want to break, to rip apart, to tear, to _demolish_."

Sengoku stared.

Misono took a step back, standing in her original position. His uneasiness didn't go away. "I don't think those are 'good girl' thoughts, Sengoku-senpai. I'll take my leave now." She bowed, not waiting for his response before leaving the clubroom.

"Well," Sengoku muttered, rubbing his eyes. He suddenly felt exhausted. "There you have it."

Dan stepped out from behind the row of lockers, eyes downcast. "She sounded just like Akutsu-senpai."

Sengoku nodded, before breaking out into a grin. "Isn't that interesting, though? She actually scared me for a second!" He laughed, "But she forgot her helmet here. I guess we'll just leave it here for her to pick up later, huh?"

"I guess so," Dan agreed, a half-hearted smile on his face. He didn't know what to think of the morning's events. He had asked Sengoku to show him who Akutsu's new gofer was, and he had been fully planning on introducing himself, but somehow during their talk he had forgotten about everything. Something about her reminded him so much of what Akutsu had been like when they had first met.

He wondered if everything was really going to be alright between the two. He hoped Akutsu wouldn't hurt her.

He hoped she didn't hurt him.

o~

"I gotta hand it to you, trust you to pick the ugliest fucking bike in the world to come to school with." Akutsu scowled, circling the machine.

Misono didn't reply, even though she thought the bike was actually quite nice. It was a dark metallic red with thin white stripes across the sides. The wheels weren't too big or small, and it wasn't super flashy. However, she kept her mouth shut, trying to focus on carrying her books and school bag as well as Akutsu's sports bag. She had waited for him for half an hour on the rooftop after school ended, only to be texted to fetch his sports bag and meet him in front of the school.

Her back hurt.

"Whatever," Akutsu rolled his eyes at her lack of response, stretching out his arm with his palm facing up. "Keys."

Misono blinked. "For the bike?"

"No, for the fucking Tokyo Tower. Of course the bike, you dumbass! How else am I supposed to ride it?"

"But only one person can fit on it at once-" Misono started to say before she saw the completely nonplussed look on his face. Sighing inwardly, she dug into her pockets with some difficulty and placed the keys in his palm. "Yes, Akutsu-san."

He snatched his hand away, frowning at her. "I'm going to the community center." As a spark filled her eyes, he growled, "For a _workout_. Not fucking tennis. Give me that." He grabbed his sports bag and yanked it out of her hands, feeling satisfied when the action caused her to teeter off-balance. Stupid girl. He then dumped his own schoolbag at her feet, kicking it for good measure.

"Where are you going?" Misono asked, quickly regaining her balance while he started to walk away. "Aren't you going to take the bike?"

"I changed my mind," he answered without looking back. Misono already knew what was coming next, but she couldn't stop her stomach from sinking as she watched him throw her keys in a perfect arc into the school bushes. There were thorns in those, goddamnit. She stared helplessly at the bushes as he smirked at her. Oh, how she hated all of this.

"Where's your helmet, bitch?"

Surprised, Misono looked back at her bike. Where _was_ her helmet? She must have left it in the clubroom in the morning. Yet another detour she would have to take before going home. Struck by a sudden thought, she called out to Akutsu's retreating back, "How did you know I have a helmet?"

"All you bitches care about safety too fucking much." Akutsu stopped to turn around, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin. "You better wear it, wouldn't want you to get hurt, fucking slave." Laughing harshly, he carried along on his way. "See you at the community center at seven. Bring money, I'll be fucking starved!"

Misono could only watch sullenly as he disappeared around a corner, sports bag slung casually over his broad shoulders. She wondered if he would still push her around if she also had such big shoulders.

He probably would, she thought tiredly as she picked up their schoolbags. It seemed as though she would have to make a stop at his house to drop off his bag, go home to get her wallet and change, drop off the bike at her uncle's, and then walk to the community center.

But first, the key and the helmet.

Tugging her skirt downwards till it covered her knees, she walked gingerly towards the bushes before kneeling down carefully next to it. All in a day's work, she supposed as she closed her eyes and stuck her hand in a bush.

o~

"Still here?"

Jumping, Misono looked behind her to see Akutsu standing there without a single bead of sweat on his forehead. It had been an hour since they parted, and she still hadn't found her key. Standing up wearily, she nodded.

He looked her up and down, grimacing. Her uniform was mud-ridden, her dirty skirt only barely covering her scraped knees. Having rolled her sleeves up, her arms were covered in tiny little scratches and even a couple bigger gashes from the thorns in the bushes. Her fingers, red from the cold and the pain, were a sight to behold. Her usually pale face was flushed, sweat matting her hair to her forehead. She looked like she was about to cry.

Akutsu wasn't sure whether he felt bad for her or whether he was going to laugh at her state.

Opening his hand, he dropped a dirt covered key onto the ground. Her eyes widened at it before she looked incredulously up at him.

"I came back to get my bag, it has my cell phone in it." That was true, by the way. Akutsu wasn't a fucking sap that looked out for the ones he punished. "You were looking in the wrong bush, fucking dumbass."

Taking the key slowly into her beat up hands, Misono blinked. "But I thought-"

"Yeah, you _thought_. If you're going to play tennis, you're going to need to see motion paths better than that, _fuck_. You're terrible. I threw it in the completely opposite direction. And look at your fucking hands, they look disgusting. Your hands are your life as a tennis player, you know that? What planet did you even fucking come from?" Akutsu stomped at the spot at where the keys had been, flinching a little at her unwavering stare. Was there something on his face?

And then she did the weirdest fucking thing Akutsu had ever seen.

Misono smiled at him.

He felt so disgusted that he almost punched her right then and there, but if he did he was scared that she might go and _laugh_ or something equally disturbing. Turning on his heel, he began to stride away. "I've lost my fucking appetite from your fucking weirdness. Go home, bring my bag to school tomorrow."

He didn't look back for fear that she was still doing that _thing_ at him. When she smiled, she actually held emotions in her face. Her eyes curved and her nose crinkled and she looked so genuinely-

Gross. Akutsu shivered. He hated smiles.

"See you tomorrow, Akutsu-san! Thank you!"

"Get your fucking helmet, your brain's already been too fucking damaged to be endangered more!" He shouted back, picking up his pace. He needed to go home and sleep. Digging his own scraped hands into his pocket, he spat at the ground. Fucking stupid girl.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Big apologies for the worst written fight scene ever.

Disclaimer: All credits go to their respective owners.

o~

Lately, Yuki noticed, the Akutsu household was getting a little crowded. She didn't know why she hadn't seen it before; there were piles and piles of unwashed and washed laundry around the small apartment, messy dishes were strewn everywhere and things were generally not where they were supposed to be. She sighed as she dug out the remote control from under the bathroom sink. There was no excuse for it, really. She was always too tired to clean after work, and slowly but surely her dear son started to stink up the whole place with his adolescence and rebellion.

"I'm sorry for this, Misono-chan," she tried to apologize as she checked the bathroom cupboards. "It's a mess in here right now, I haven't had time to clean in a while."

Miffed at how there was yet _another_ stranger who was using her name so casually, Misono bit her lip. "It's no problem, my own room is quite messy too."

Yuki looked at the young girl's pristine school uniform and smiled. "Somehow, I have a hard time believing that." She shut the cupboards, sighing again. "Now where could that hacky sack have gone? Jin hasn't played with it in years… I wonder what he wants with it now."

"I don't know either," Misono shrugged, trying not to ask why the older woman had chosen to search in the bathroom, of all places. "He's probably going to throw it at me." She muttered offhandedly.

Yuki laughed; Misono didn't tell her that she wasn't joking.

"You know, you've been coming over a lot in the past few days, Misono-chan." Yuki frowned, looking up at the middle schooler. "My son isn't bullying you into doing chores for him, is he?"

Misono paused, trying to find the right words. "I'm just doing him a couple of favours so that he'll do me one in return." Satisfied with her explanation, she nodded. "I'm sorry to always trouble you, Akutsu-san."

"Oh, don't call me that. It makes me feel old," Yuki wrinkled her nose, "Call me Yuki-chan, everyone else does. Let's take a look in the kitchen, shall we?" She marched past a sink full of dirty dishes and started opening every shelf. "You know, I don't think Jin's ever sent a girl over to fetch something for him. It's always either poor Dan-kun or Sengoku-kun. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Taka-kun in a while. Have you met him? He's a sweet boy. He always used to bring us sushi, but then Jin got mad at him and now I haven't seen him in months. If you see him, tell him I said hello."

As someone who didn't talk much, Misono felt kind of lost at the end of Yuki's chatter. "I… if I see him, I will tell him your greetings." She finally said weakly, not mentioning that she had no idea who 'Taka-kun' was.

"Oh, what's this doing here?" Yuki pulled out an old album from a stack of cookbooks, eyes shining. "Why, I've been looking for this forever! So this is where he did it." She brushed off the dust from the sides and grinned. "It's Jin's baby photos. Oh, come here and look with me!"

Misono tried to stop her and say that no, if she didn't return with the hacky sack in eleven minutes then Akutsu would make her pay for his dinner, but the words got trapped in her throat as Yuki opened the album and Misono stared at the angriest looking baby she had ever seen. "Oh." She said, blinking. Baby Akutsu was holding a small toy that looked rather like a baseball bat, glaring beneath his baby bib full of food stains. Her lips twitched. "How… cute."

"Isn't he?" Yuki gushed, and the two found themselves slowly sitting down at the dinner table, flipping through the album and giggling over Akutsu's first day of kindergarten. Before Misono realized what was happening, she was drinking tea from a cracked cup and they were halfway through a second album that Yuki had dug up somewhere.

She looked at her watch. Well, chances were that she would have paid for his dinner anyway.

o~

She was fucking late.

Akutsu stomped up the stairs to his apartment, muttering curse words the whole way. How dare she make him wait like an _idiot_ outside McDonald's for forty-five minutes. He had felt like a complete loser.

Jamming his key into the door, he was about to slam the door open when he stopped. From inside the apartment, he could hear… laughing?

"Oh fuck no," he muttered, throwing the door open with all his strength. He crossed his arms and bellowed, "Nakagawa, get the fuck out here right now!"

"Jin, is that any way to speak to a guest?" His mom appeared, hands on her hips with a small pout. "Close the door and come join us."

He rolled his eyes and walked past her. "Don't tell me what to do." Making his way past the dishes on the floor in the kitchen, he stopped in front of the kitchen table and stared. She was fucking smiling _again_.

"I like this one." Misono held up a picture of him in the middle of a huge bubble bath. His eyes widened as he took in all the photos that were littered across the table, and without a second thought he grabbed onto the tablecloth and yanked with all his might, the pictures falling every which way onto the floor. His face flushed crimson red as he tried to find the right way to express his fury. He couldn't believe that of all people, that stiff ass girl had seen his baby photos. He was shaking so hard with anger he could barely contain himself.

"_You, get out of my house right now!_" He roared, feeling much better as she flinched.

"She can stay," her mother's voice came from behind, and all his satisfaction retreated back into frustration. "Misono-chan has been nothing but lovely to me and we were having a very nice talk, Jin."

Akutsu glared at his mom, then at Misono, then at his mom again. Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"Do what you fucking like," he growled before he looked back at Misono. "But don't think I'll forget this." His hands itching to punch something, he slammed the door on his way out, still fuming.

He was just about to wander off to the arcade when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps in his direction. He turned, expecting another lecture from his mom, only to be met face to face with an out of breath Misono right in front of their apartment building.

"I'm sorry Akutsu-san, I lost track of time." She bowed, still panting from her run. "Are you still hungry?"

Akutsu spat at the ground, looking around. After confirming that his mom wasn't in the near vicinity, he grabbed a fistful of Misono's blazer and shoved her towards the building wall. She let out a yelp as her back hit the concrete, her hands flying up to cup his fist.

"You," he said quietly as he tightened his hold, "You are never going to talk about those baby pictures to anyone. Got it?"

Misono tried to speak but nothing came out of her mouth but another small yelp. She nodded vigorously instead, but Akutsu wasn't satisfied. He brought his other hand up to grab her shirt collar and Misono made a choking noise as she felt herself being _lifted_. Panicking, her feet squirmed as they left the ground and her hands grasped at his wrists.

"Say it!" Akutsu growled, enjoying the look in her eyes. There was something about seeing Misono all wide-eyed and scared that made him laugh. Maybe he was getting a little weird.

She closed her eyes, willing her tongue to untangle itself but when she still couldn't say anything, Misono opened her eyes. Letting a shaky breath out, her toes barely touching the ground, she locked eyes with him. She could see the embarrassment and anger in his expression, and knew that he was about to hit her. This was it. Something in her snapped, and she closed her mouth. The frustration that had built up in the last few days rushed through her veins and in a sudden moment of clarity, she realized something.

This was the exact same situation as the one in which they had first met. If she didn't strike first, he would.

So she gritted her teeth, clenched her hands tighter around the wrists that were so much larger than hers, and thought about everything he had made her go through. Her mind slowly clouded over with anger as she remembered their first meeting.

And with a burst of courage, she brought her knee swiftly up and between his two legs.

Akutsu let out a bellowing scream as he let go of her, dropping to his knees immediately in pain. Misono landed harshly on her butt, seemingly unfazed as she stood up again quickly and walked to where he was. His anger now tripled as he doubled over, he began, "Now you look here you bit-"

"No, _you look here_!" Misono screamed, shocking Akutsu into silence. Her eyes burning with fury, she kneeled down beside him. "Shut the fuck up and listen to me, you lazy ass piece of shit!" She stopped, taking a deep breath. Akutsu watched her as she fixed her bangs in silence. "Pardon my language."

Before he could say anything in return, she leaned over and pushed him down onto the ground. It would have been an impossible feat had Akutsu not been temporarily immobilized by the previous attack.

Pinning his arms to the ground, Misono narrowed her eyes. "Akutsu-san, I'm tired of these games. I know it has not been a week, but I have one month until the competition and I will not let you ruin this for me. I have put too much on the line." Akutsu glared at her, but she only leaned in closer. "Now, you can teach me tennis, or you can be known as the delinquent that got pushed down by a girl." Misono tilted her head, eyes stony. "So what's it going to be?"

"No one'd believe you." Akutsu sneered, finally starting to recover from the numbness in his lower body. He managed to find the strength to sit up, slapping her hands away. "Now get out of my-"

"I will not!" She interrupted, voice unusually shrill. Their heads still a short distance apart, Misono bared her teeth. She couldn't think properly. She had never experienced a rage that took over her whole body like this. Bringing her head back as he started threatening her again, she closed her eyes. He was saying something about how she had a lot of nerve. Misono couldn't stand the sound of his voice anymore. "I don't care if I have to kill you, Akutsu Jin, _you will teach me tennis_!" She shouted, smashing their foreheads together.

Taking advantage of him as he pulled back, she slammed her elbow into his chest, making him fall onto the ground again. Her own head panged with pain, but she could no longer control her actions. She drew an arm back to punch him when she felt someone grab her waist from behind, pulling her up.

"That's enough, Misono-chan," Sengoku cooed as he forced her to stand up, dragging her away from Akutsu. Still shaking, Misono tried to elbow him away but the pain in her head stopped her. She groaned, closing her eyes. She touched her face, it was wet. Did she cry? Her brain tried to catch up with her. Her heart was beating unnaturally fast, _oh god what had she done_?

Akutsu sprang up from where he had fallen from her blow to his chest, leaping towards Sengoku and Misono when another pair of hands shot out to grab onto his jacket. Akutsu reeled around to see Dan, who was using all his strength just to stop him from moving.

"I'm bleeding," Misono muttered. The strange liquid on her face was sticky. And red. "It hurts."

Sengoku chuckled, "Well, that generally happens when you headbutt someone with a forehead of steel." He let go of her, looking at her worriedly. "Are you okay now? Thank god we were close by when Yuki-chan called."

Misono felt dizzy as she looked at the ground. Suddenly, all her adrenaline disappeared and her shoulders slumped. "I just got angry," she said quietly. "I didn't really want to hurt him, I was just scared and then I didn't know what was happening and-" she shook her head, closing her eyes. "I don't know. My head hurts."

"Want me to piggyback you to the hospital?" Sengoku laughed at her glare. "Alright alright, I'll walk you there." Taking her by the arm, he ignored her protests as they started walking. He looked back to Dan and Akutsu, a little surprised to see them standing still. Akutsu hadn't moved from his position after standing, and he was just… staring. At Misono. Sengoku couldn't read the other boy's expression, but he knew it wasn't one of murderous intent. It was... curiosity?

He really didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

o~

She woke up to the smell of burnt tablecloth.

Misono sat up quickly, cringing as her head screamed at her. She put one hand up to touch it, surprised to feel the roughness of a bandage. She looked to her right to see an IV drip, and she sighed. Oh right, Sengoku had brought her to the hospital.

"Finally."

Jumping at the voice, Misono turned to the right to let out a little shriek. Shrinking under her covers, she bit her lip at Akutsu in fear. In his hand was a lighter. She quickly deduced in his boredom, he had started to burn various things around him. She couldn't help but wonder if she was next.

"Don't act so innocent when you're the scary one," Akutsu rolled his eyes. He pointed at a nasty bruise on his forehead, scowling. "Do you know how long it's been since I got a bruise from a headbutt?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Too fucking long." Akutsu grinned, letting out a harsh laugh. "Although since you had to get stitches, I think I won." He stood up from his seat next to her bed, "Well. Glad to know you aren't dead. See you tomorrow at 7."

Misono watched, dumbstruck, as Akutsu made his way to the door. "Wait! Where? Why? Are you…" she lowered her voice, "Going to kill me?"

Cackling, Akutsu just grinned wolfishly again. "Tennis courts, of course. And yes, maybe." He opened the door to the sound of her stuttering shock, looking back one last time before he left.

"It's funny, because now I really fucking wanna see what you're gonna do to that tennis bitch."


End file.
